Escapement for timepieces



G. P. REED.

Clock Escapement. No. 22,305. Patented Dec. 14, 1858.

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UNITED STATES IATENT OFFICE.

GEO. P. REED, OF ROXBURY, MASSACHUSETTS.

ESCAPEMENT FOR TIMEPIECES.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 22,305, dated December 14, 1858.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Gnonen l). REED, of Roxbury, in the county oforfolli and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new or ImprovedIlscapement for Timepieces; and I do hereby declare that the same isfully described and represented in the following specification and theaccompanying drawings, of which* .Figure l, denotes a top view, Fig. 2,a front elevation and Fig. 3, an end elevation of the 'said escapementincluding its escape wheel; Fig. fl, is an end view of the doubleimpulse pallet; Fig. 5, is a side view of the lever and its doublelifting pallet.

The nature of my invention consists in a combination of a double impulsepallet and a double detent lifting pallet applied respectively to thebalance wheel axis and the detent lever of the escape wheel and tooperate therewith so as to cause t-he balance wheel to receive impulsefrom the escape wheel during each vibration or swing of the i saidbalance wheel.

In the accompanying drawings, A, denotes the escape wheel while B,indicates the balance wheel of an ordinary time piece or watch. the saidbalance wheel or balance as usually termed being arranged with its axis,a, at rightl angles with the axis, l), of the escape wheel, andfurnished with a hair spring, y. This arrangement, however may bechanged so as to have t-he two axis parallel; my improvement by a slightchange in construction, which a watchmaker would readily understand,being applicable to either of the said arrangements.

J, denotes the double impulse pallet extending from a hub, c, fixed tothe axis, a. This impulse pallet is constructed triangular in crosssection or with two inclined cams, d, e, as shown in t-he drawings.Operating in connection with the wheel, A, is a detent arm or lever, K,which is supported and so as to play vertically on a fulcrum D. At oneend. the said lever, K, carries the detent pallet, C, which works inconnection with the teeth, t, t, of the wheel A. At its opposite end thesaid lever carries a triangular lifting pallet, F, formed with two camsor faces, g, g, as shown in the drawings and so as to operate inconnect-ion with a conical pointed lifting screw or cam S, carried by anarm, T. extending from the arbor of the balance wheel, such liftingscrew being screwed vertically through the arm. delicate spring. G, isapplied to the lever, K, such spring being made to rest against astationary pin I. )t stop, E, projects underneath the rear arm of thelever K and is for the purpose of arresting the downward movementthereof.

The operation of the aforcdescribed escapement may be thus explained. Asthe balance turns from right to left, the lifting screw. S, will passunder one cam of the lifting pallet, F, and will raise such palletupward so as to depress the detent pallet, C. until the tooth of thewheel A.) that may be resting against such pallet shall be disengagedfrom it. This having taken place, the wheel, A. will be advanced andwill carry one of its teeth or pins against one cam of the doubleimpulse pallet, J. and thereby give the balance impulse in a directionfrom right to left. In the meantime, the spring. G, has forced thedetent arm or lever, K. down upon its banking pin, E, so as to cause thedetent pallet C, to be again brought into a proper place to receive thenext advancing` tooth of the wheel, A, and thereby hold the wheelstationary, until the reverse motion of the balance or that from left toright is caused to take place during which the lifting screw, S. willpass under the other 'am of the lifting pallet. F, and produce anothermovement of the lever, K, so as to disconnect its detent pallet from thewheel tooth held by it. This having taken place, the motive power of thewheel, A, will again advance the said wheel and carry another tooth ofit against the opposite cam of the impulse pallet, J whereby motion willbe imparted to the balance from left to right.

From the above it will be seen that the balance for each swing' orvibration receives impulse from the escape wheel A. It will also beperceived that the said balance and the operative parts supported by itsaxis are perfectly detached from the remainder of the mechanism and arenot in contact with the same except at the periods of impulse, as abovedescribed. This is an important peculiarity of this escapement. Thecommon detached lever l escapement gives impulse to the balance undereach `vibration of it, but in this case, the impulse is not givendirectly from the wheel, but is accomplished through an interveninglever, which not only adds to the mechanism but serves to materiallyincrease the friction of its operation. My improved escapement in vvhichthe balance for each vibration or swing not only receives impulsedirectly from its escape Wheel or by the action thereof on one of thefaces or cams of its impulse pallet, but at the same time with the partscarried by its axis or arbor is detached from and is independent of therest of the escapement, presents important advantages; that is7 it issimple in construction, uniform in action, and operating` With littlefriction. Another important advantage is that the lifting or elevationof the detent lever by the balance may be accomplished very near theaxis ot' the balance so as to disturb as little as possible the motionof the balance, the impulse being given at any desirable distance fromthe said axis. This as a matter of course operates greatly to reduce theamount ot' motive power required to operate the balance in comparisonwith what may be be necessary in Various other escapements.

I claim-- The improved escapement as constructed with its two impulsecams, or a double impulse pallet, J, applied to the balance Wheel axleand to operate with the escape Wheel, A, substantially as specied, incombination with the double detent, lever lifting reverse cams.v orpallet, l". applied to the detent lever of the escape Wheel, A, andoperated by a cam screw, S. or its equivalentsupported by the axle ot'the balance essentially as hereinbefore explained.

GEO. P. REED. lVitnesses R. HEDDY, F. P. HALE, Jr.

